The thought of Mother's Day conjures up all kinds of images depending on who you are, or rather, who your mom is. She may have a busy social life or may prefer to spend her time with a close circle of loved ones. She may be a working professional, stay-at-home mom, or retired. She might be old, young, or both. One thing is certain, moms are irreplaceable as the giver of life, nurturer, and President of their child's fan club.

Moms make numerous sacrifices in order to enrich their children's lives often without the child ever having knowledge of those sacrifices. They pay attention to everything we do and never lose the instinct to protect even after their children have grown into adulthood. They demonstrate wisdom and restraint and wrap it up in a sometimes quirky personality that makes her one of a kind.

One way to show your mom that you care about her safety and self-reliance is by giving her the gift of a firearm and by spending time with her at the range.

• OBLIGATORY LEGAL DISCLAIMER: If you purchase a firearm for your mom, she must be present to fill out the background check information and may be required to submit fingerprints and demonstrate safe handling depending upon the laws in your state. Do not purchase a firearm for yourself and transfer it to someone else without the proper paperwork. This is known as a "straw purchase" and is against the law.

Depending upon your mom's skill and comfort-level, you may want to select from one of the following suggestions.

Little or No Experience with Firearms
Consider taking mom to the range for a firearm safety training course. You can rent firearms at the range for miminal cost. A common firearm for beginners is the .22 revolver. Revolvers are easy to understand mechanically and the .22 is a very manageable caliber with almost no recoil. This will give mom the confidence she needs to do well. And despite the small caliber, the .22 is still an acceptable mode of stopping an attack.

Experience with Firearms, May Own one or More Firearms
A nice quality handgun, shotgun, or rifle is always appreciated. You want to look for something with a reliable name such as Glock or Smith & Wesson for handguns. Winchester and Browning make legendary rifles. For shotguns, you may consider a Remington or Benelli.

You'll have a wide variety of calibers and actions to choose from. Choosing a firearm is very personal so you may want to do some research and ask questions before coming to a conclusion. Another option is to take mom shopping and let her decide which firearm she wants.

My Mom Has It All
Some moms already own at least one handgun, shotgun, and rifle or numerous variations thereof. They've been shooting and/or hunting since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. There's nothing you can tell this woman about firearms. So take her shooting! It can be as simple as a family outing where you get to spend quality time together. You can get her enrolled in one of the many available courses through legendary training outfits such as Gun Site, Front Sight, and Thunder Ranch. Or you can send her on a wild adventure safari.

And always remember to accessorize! Guns need holsters. Or cleaning kits. Or cartridges. Make sure mom has everything she needs to complete the ensemble.

Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
jennifer@libertybelles.org